


Together

by nocturne-of-forest (annathescavver)



Series: Nocturne does Linktober 2020 [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Linktober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27126007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annathescavver/pseuds/nocturne-of-forest
Summary: Navi often wonders why she was chosen. She plans to do whatever she can to help her charge, and yet...she’s scared. She worries for the future of the kingdom, but more than anything she’s afraid for her life and that of her charge. She’s seen the changes in him and she curses fate for putting such an innocent child through it all. But for all her fear, she stays at his side and knows that if they stick together, they can face anything.
Relationships: Link & Navi (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Nocturne does Linktober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952161
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Together

Navi often wondered why she was chosen. She had trusted the Great Deku Tree’s wisdom, as did every fairy, but as time passed she started to question it. She was no healing fairy, so she could do little to soothe pain or mend broken bone. And she was no warrior, so she couldn’t fight all that well. Her skills lie in her experience - her knowledge of the world and its many customs.

While that was undoubtedly a great help - her charge had started his journey unaware of much of Hyrule’s ways - sometimes she wondered, late at night when the stars were out and he was asleep, how she was supposed to help save the land.

Evil threatened it, after all. The Great Deku Tree had stressed to her just how important it was that she help the young Link face it. If that evil was not defeated, all of Hyrule would suffer.

Who was she, just one small fairy, in the face of such a threat?

It wasn’t that she wasn’t willing to try. No, she’d do whatever she could to face it, to lead her charge, until she could no longer. Doubts or no, someone had to do something and she’d never leave Link to face it alone.

It was just…

She was scared. Scared of dying, scared of failing and watching Hyrule fall into further ruin. Scared for her charge’s life and wellbeing.

She kept these thoughts to herself, of course. Link had enough to deal with.

Looking down to where he was curled up on his side and snoring, she sighed. There, just visible through the torn fabric of his shirt, were the bloodied bandages. They’d just barely made it through the temple alive - past all the puzzles and traps and stalfos - and escaped to a safer part of the woods. After tending to each cut, Navi herself inspecting his work for fear of infection, her charge had fallen into a deep, fitful slumber.

Navi put her head in her hands. He was a capable fighter, able to hold his own even against creatures bigger than he, and yet he was still only one person. She could see the shake of his hands, hear the choked sounds of terror. Seeing him go through what he did ate at her and she cursed destiny for what it did to him.

They’d started this journey as allies. Maybe not quite friends yet, but they got along well enough. They answered the summons of the Great Deku Tree together, faced the parasite among his roots together, fled the Kokiri Forest and its painful memories together. And then, when the castle was under siege, they followed the princess’s orders and sought the Master Sword. Together, they were sealed for years in the Sacred Realm, only to find the kingdom of Hyrule in ruin and an even longer journey before them.

Navi had watched her charge go from child to adult, but it was more than age that had changed him. He’d started their journey as a curious, talkative child. Though plagued by confusing nightmares and troubled by his treatment at the hands of a few of the Kokiri, he’d still had a ready smile and a happy laugh. Soon, however, those things came less and less frequently as the stress began to weigh down his shoulders. It hurt to see his childish joy replaced so completely by the grief he now carried.

Thinking of the times he sat staring into the campfire, or the singular occasion he’d confessed to her how scared he was and how much he wanted to go home, Navi wanted to take on this evil herself. But she couldn’t. She was no fighter, no powerful Great Fairy, no ancient guardian. All she could do was stay at Link’s side, offer him her support and companionship, and hope for the best.

From the ground she heard a muffled cry. She hurried over to where her charge was curled tightly on himself, face buried in his arms, and began trying to soothe him. This behavior was nothing new and so she was familiar with how to help. She couldn’t sing, as some other people could, but her voice always seemed to ease his stress anyway. Floating next to his ear, she talked to him - telling him that it was okay, she was there, they were safe.

And then, when a small measure of calm came over his face, she reached out towards him. Taking locks of his long blonde hair, she twisted and wove them together before tying them off with the colorful pieces of string she kept on hand.

There were other braids, too, ones from other nights or long trips across the field. They kept her busy. In fact, she found herself reaching for his hair when they traveled, or just when she was talking to him. Link never seemed to mind. She often saw him touching them: rolling the ends between his fingertips or twisting them around his hands. Maybe they brought him comfort in some way, too.

When she was done, she settled down beside his head. There was no pillow this time, like the many nights he’d spent at the ranch as a child, but she made do. Tucking herself in his cap like a human would a quilt, she closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

The next morning, she let Link sleep in. He needed the rest. And, she reminded herself, so did she. When they finally woke late in the afternoon, they gathered their supplies and took to the road together.

Navi flew beside him, keeping one eye out for danger and the other on his still-healing injury. As if sensing her scrutiny, he looked over and offered her one of his rare, brilliant smiles. Navi couldn’t help her smile as it worked its way across her face. If they stuck with each other, worked as a team, they’d be alright. She had to trust in that.

They could face this evil together.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for this one was "Companion" so I thought I'd go with Navi. Honestly, I always thought she was a good character, and her and Link had to have been best friends by the end of the game.
> 
> Either way, thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves.


End file.
